Mitchell Stephens in The Sweet Hereafter

Summary: A summary of the role of Mitchell Stephens in Russell Banks' book The Sweet Hereafter, which tells the story of a community coping with a town's loss following a fatal school bus accident. At first Stephens portrayed as a fast-talking, ambulance-chasing lawyer from New York City as he pursues the case following the accident; but as the tale progresses, Stephens' internal motives come to the fore.

"The Sweet Hereafter" by Russell Banks is a fictional novel based on a real life tragedy. The story is about a community coping with the loss of almost all of its children after the towns school bus is involved in an accident in which most of them die. The accident occurs on a treacherous winding highway when the driver loses control of the school bus and it plunges down an embankment into an ice covered sandpit. The novel is unique in the way that it is written because it's story is told 4 different ways, from 4 different characters, each one filling you in just a little more on their perspective of what really happened. One of these characters is Mitchell Stephens. He is a lawyer from New York City with an undeniable past. He is a compelling character with an interesting story.